Rarely seen today is lakhon lek, literally 'little theater,' a form of performance art derived from Thailand's classical khon theater, with themes taken from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana. In lakhon lek, the 'actors' are resplendently-costumed 3-foot-high puppets, each controlled and manipulated by three puppeteers. Far from being a distraction, as one might expect, the puppeteers and their dancelike movements—even, at times, their facial expressions—add a considerable element of entertainment to the performance.